Customers shopping in the Hamidiyeh souk in Damascus, March 29, 2025. (Credit: AFP)
"I will order the lifting of sanctions against Syria to give it a chance for greatness." This statement by Donald Trump at an investment forum in Riyadh was the first surprise of his tour in the region. "It's time for them to shine. We are removing them all," declared the American president, wishing Syria "good luck." The transitional Syrian president had ardently wished for this surprise, while Washington's policy towards Damascus remained unclear.Ahmad al-Sharaa's more than five months in power at the helm of Syria have been marked by numerous challenges and waves of instability: sporadic atrocities attributed to elements of the fallen Assad regime or rebel groups, massacres committed on the coast against several 100 civilians, mostly Alawites, clashes involving Sunni and Druze armed groups, as...
"I will order the lifting of sanctions against Syria to give it a chance for greatness." This statement by Donald Trump at an investment forum in Riyadh was the first surprise of his tour in the region. "It's time for them to shine. We are removing them all," declared the American president, wishing Syria "good luck." The transitional Syrian president had ardently wished for this surprise, while Washington's policy towards Damascus remained unclear.Ahmad al-Sharaa's more than five months in power at the helm of Syria have been marked by numerous challenges and waves of instability: sporadic atrocities attributed to elements of the fallen Assad regime or rebel groups, massacres committed on the coast against several 100 civilians, mostly Alawites, clashes involving Sunni and Druze armed groups,...